Smoker&#39;s pipe



Patented July 20, 1943 i UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICE Y" sMoKERs rien John R. Houts, McLean, Va. Applicatie December '15, 1941, serial Ne. 423,093

1 claim. (ci. isi-225) rlhis invention relates to an improvedsmokers pipe.

The inherent functional defects of a conventional pipe of simple bowl and stem are too well known to need repeating or to require elaborate conjecture as to exactly what features are involved in unsatisfactory or distasteful results. `It is sufficient to note, as practically all who smoke such a pipe agree, that tobacco and ashes cake in the bottom of the bowl, that the collected cake is often wet, and that the pipe must be cleaned more 'or less frequently, else it becomes impossibleV to draw smoke through the .pipe stem. Furthermore,'smokedrawn through such a 'cake at the bottom of the bowl is often distasteful while, if the cake is removed and the pipe cleaned, the hot smoke drawn directly from the burning tobacco into the mouth, burns the tongue. Many physicians contend that in thus portunity to drop moisture while, also, smoke may not be drawn directly from the burning tobacco into the mouth.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pipe wherein the baille tube will shield the entrance to the pipe stem and thus tend to prevent the formation of a cake of tobacco and ashes at the bottom of the bowl while heat radiated by the tube will tend to maintain the lower portion of the bowl dry.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pipe wherein the baille tube will provide a sleeve for the forward end of the pipe stem, and wherein the tube will be readily removable from the bowl and open at both ends so that the tube may be easily cleaned.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a pipe wherein the baille tube will be closed at its inner end by the Wall of the bowl, and wherein the tube may be wedged against said wall in such manner as to bind the tubein position so that when the pipe is inuse, the bowl will not easily slip or tilt on the tube.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a pipe unhampered by complicated parts or devious ducts and channels, a pipe which may be manufactured by existing ma- Figure 1 is a side elevation ofmy improved pipe. 1 A,

vFigure 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure `3 is a View partly inelevation and partly in vertical section to better show the baille tube employed.

Figure 4 `is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section to better show said baille tube. -Figure 5 is a perspective view showingthe parts separated but in proper operativerelation. Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical section showing a slight modification of the invention. In carrying the inventioninto effect, I 'employ a pipe bowl Hl which is preferably of wood and, .as .will be appreciated, the inner wall II of the bowl is curved both vertically and circumferentially. Formed on the lower portion of the bowl at one side thereof is a boss I2 and as the boss is short, a corresponding economy `of wood is effected. i A In conjunction with the bowl IIl, I employ a removable baille tube I3 which is preferably of resilient metal although any other suitable material may be employed. The tube is straight and of a diameter to snugly t, with more or less friction, through the boss I2 so that, when so desired, the cuter end of the tube may be grasped between the thumb and finger and the tube withdrawn.` In this connection, it is to be particularly noted that the tube is open at both ends so that after the tube has been withdrawn, a swab or, for instance, a straw or the like may be forced through the tube for effectively cleaning it.

At its outer end portion, the tube I3 provides a sleeve I4 which extends a suitable distance beyond the boss I2 while the inner end portion of the tube is cut away at its lower side to provide a smoke slot I5 extending from said Ysleeve through the forward terminal of the tube. The

slot thus defines side walls I5 which, as will be appreciated, will exhibit progressively greater ilexibility toward theforward end of the tube, and it is now to be noted that the forward end of the tube is beveled both vertically and transversely to seat flat against the wall II of the bowl It. The tube is thus closed at its forward end by said wall. Furthermore, attention is also directed to the fact that, after the forward end of the tube strikes the wall II, forward pressure may be exerted on the tube when the forward end thereof will tend to ride up said wall or ride sidewise thereon and thus cant the tube in the boss I2 while the stress on the forward ends of the side walls I6 will tend to flex said side walls and cause the beveled edges thereof to bite into and yieldably grip the wall I I. The tube I3 will be thus not only wedged in place but will be also resiliently secured in position. These features have been found of practical importance as, in order to prove satisfactory, the bowl must not turn on the tube as the pipe is being loaded or tamped while, also, the bowl must not creep loose from the tube while the pipe is held in the mouth.

Removably engaged with the baflie tube I3 is a stem I'I which may be of any preferred material. At its forward end, this stem is provided with a nipple I8 which friotionally ts in the sleeve I4 and, as will be observed, said nipple is preferably of a length to extend beyond the Zone of the boss I2 for reinforcing and sustaining the sleeve at the boss against canting stress on the baffle tube.

As will now be seen, smoke drawn through the stem I'I from the bowl IE, when tobacco is burning in the bowl and the pipe is in use, will first flow downwardly within the bowl at opposite sides of the baffle tube I3 whence, at the bottom of the bowl, the smoke will be caused to change its direction of flow and pass upwardly through the slot I5 and thence through the tube to the stem. As will be understood, the smoke will thus be afforded opportunity to drop moisture while, also, as will be perceived, hot smoke may not be drawn directly from the burning tobacco into the mouth. To accentuate this latter advantage, the rear end of the smoke slot I5 preferably terminates at about the axis of the pipe bowl, as will be noted, so that the smoke will be caused to follow a correspondingly circuitous route from the burning tobacco into the pipe Stem. As will be apparent, the metal of the baie tube I3 will radiate heat at the lower portion of the bowl for dissipating any moisture collected at the bottom thereof. Furthermore, such heat will also serve to dry out tobacco about the tube and overcome the accumulation 0f a wet cake or mass at the bottom of the bowl such as would clog the entrance to the pipe stem.

In Figure 6 of the drawing, I have shown a slight modification of the invention wherein the bowl is indicated at IS, the boss at 20, the fabric tube at ZI and the stem at 22. In this variation, the wall of the bowl opposite the boss 20 is provided with a socket 23 which is tapered and may be formed by the end of the bit used to cut the opening through said boss for the tubes 2I. Thus, when the forward end of the tube is forced into the socket, the side walls of the tube will be flexed by the tapering wall of the socket so that said side walls will be caused to yieldably coact with the wall of the socket for securing the tube in position. Otherwise, the modified structure is identical with the preferred embodiment of the invention and further description is accordingly believed unnecessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

In a tobacco pipe, the combination of a total of three complemental parts providing a freely separable assembly and comprising a bow formed near the bottom thereof with an external short fulcrum-boss terminating within the lines of the bowl at its major circumference, a resilient baffie tube snugly fitting through said boss and curved at its forward terminal to wedge against the inner surface of the bowl and cant the tube in said boss for binding the tube in position and locking the bowl against rotation on the tube, the outer end portion of the tube providing an exposed external sleeve projecting beyond said boss and said tube being formed at its inner end portion within the bowl with a single smoke slot located at the lower side of the tube and providing a smoke outlet for the bowl through the tube, and a stem provided at its forward end with a nipple frictionally tting in said sleeve and of a length to extend beyond the zone of said boss for reinforcing and sustaining the sleeve at said boss against canting stress on said tube.

JOHN R. HOUTS. 

